MOSCOW, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - The European Commission has stated that disruptions to Russian gas supplies to Ukraine would have a significantly negative impact on a number of European countries, including the bloc's eastern members, and has called for even closer cooperation among its member states to tackle the issue, a report published on the union's website Thursday said.
"In the absence of cooperation between Member States and of additional national measures, serious supply shortfalls of 40% or significantly more could materialise, at least towards the end of the 6-month disruption period, for Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (in both Ukraine transit and full Russian supply disruption scenarios)," the report said.
The commission issued the statement after The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG), an association of Europe's transmission system operators, had forecast two scenarios that the union would reportedly have to face should the talks over Russian gas supplies to Ukraine fall short.
While the first of the two scenarios, both covering a period of one or six months, posits that Russian gas supplies to the European Union will be cut off completely, the second envisions a disruption to Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine.
"Shortfalls of similar magnitude would apply for Lithuania, Estonia and Finland in the scenario of a total halt of Russian supplies to the EU. Hungary and Poland would also be substantially affected, albeit to a lesser degree, by shortfalls of 30% and 20% respectively," the report added.
According to the report, in different six-month disruption scenarios, the European Union, together with the Energy Community Contracting Parties, would be missing between five billion and nine billion cubic meters of gas, which the reports claims would be replaced through the importing of additional volumes of LNG. This, however, would result in higher prices, intense storage withdrawals and voluntary demand reduction, according to the report.
On September 26, Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission convened a meeting in Berlin to discuss the existing issues surrounding Russian gas supplies to Ukraine. The parties discussed the "winter plan" anticipated to last until the March of the next year.
According to the plan, Ukraine must pay off the $3.1 billion debt that it has accrued for Russian gas supplies before Gazprom will commence supplying five billion cubic meters of gas at a price of $385 for 1,000 cubic meters, which Ukraine would have to pay in advance.
Ukraine, however, has opposed the proposal, insisting that payments be made upon the delivery of the gas.
Earlier on Thursday, European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger stated that an interim winter plan might be agreed upon between Russia and Ukraine.
